The present invention relates to a corkscrew.
Corkscrews having a pair of handgrips and a central helical screw are known. In a typical construction, one handgrip is pivotable relatively to the other handgrip for opening to receive the neck of a wine bottle between them and then closing to grip the bottle neck before the screw can be operated. The pivotable handgrip may be connected by means of an integral (plastic) hinge through a snap-fit action, which is convenient but in practice not sufficiently strong. Although a metal rivet or screw will provide the necessary strength, its use is labour intensive and requires finishing work to obscure it.
The invention seeks to mitigate or at least alleviate such problems by providing a-modified corkscrew of this type.
According to the invention, there is provided a corkscrew comprising a body formed by a pair of first and second elongate handgrips having respective upper ends connected together for gripping the neck of a wine bottle, a central helical screw for use between the handgrips to remove a cork from said bottle, and a turning knob provided atop the body and co-axially supporting the screw for operation, wherein the first handgrip is provided at its upper end with a downwardly-opening cavity and the second handgrip is pivotably connected at its upper end to the first handgrip by means of a connector inserted from below into the cavity, said connector incorporating a hinge pin which passes through the connector and the upper end of the second handgrip for connection and is confined in place by a peripheral wall of the cavity extending around the connector.
Preferably, the connector has a body of an outer shape matching with the shape of the cavity for fitting therein.
More preferably, the connector body occupies substantially the entire interior of the cavity.
It is preferred that the connector body and the cavity have a oval cross-section.
In a preferred embodiment, the or a body of the connector is formed with a gap on one side for receiving the upper end of the second handgrip, and the pin extends across the gap through said upper end for connection.
More preferably, the gap is formed with a pair of aligned through holes on opposite sides and the upper end of the second handgrip is formed with a hole aligned with said pair of holes for the pin to extend through.
In a preferred construction, the upper end of the first handgrip is hollow and extends laterally across to the opposite side to form the cavity integrally.
More preferably, the upper end of the first handgrip is closed by an uppermost horizontal wall having a hole and the connector has an upstanding tubular shaft extending outwards through the hole, through which shaft the screw extends downwards into the corkscrew body.
Further more preferably, the connector is secured within the cavity by ultrasonic welding applied to the interface between an upper surface of the connector and a lower surface of the said wall.